We are changing our FB150 for a Fleet 100 and updating the laptop we use on board from windows 7 to 10. We use this system mainly for emails (through mailasail using Thunderbird) and weather info whilst on passage. Before we turned off the auto update feature in windows 7 whilst on passage and it worked well. I am being advised I now need to put some form of firewall in between the Fleet 100 and the laptop to stop excess data usage and updates etc.  The Redbox is being recommended although I do not need its 3G /4G and wifi capabilities so seems an expensive 'box' for the task.
Anyone have any experience of using the Redbox or any suggestions on other solutions I should look at? 

Hi John,
If you have any specific questions you would like answering concerning the installation or use of Mailasail's Redbox please let me know.
For us the Redbox performed as advertised, operating as a smart, compact wireless router which integrates our satellite communications and Wi-Fi connectivity (we will be adding mobile data cellular connectivity as well). The Redbox knows what you have connected and contains all the necessary driver, connection set-up and firewall firmware inside. Incidentally, as the outside world changes, Ed Wildgoose and his team at Mailasail provide any necessary firmware upgrades which are easy to install. We don't need to worry about configuring our connections or messing with our laptop firewalls, which I value enormously because there are plenty of other things to bother us when we are preparing the boat or going sailing.
If you have a more generic requirement for obtaining weather at sea, you might find a call to Mailasail worthwhile to see what system-solutions they might recommend.
Regards
Chris

+x

 

Chris.Pink - 15 Apr 2021

Hi John,
If you have any specific questions you would like answering concerning the installation or use of Mailasail's Redbox please let me know.
For us the Redbox performed as advertised, operating as a smart, compact wireless router which integrates our satellite communications and Wi-Fi connectivity (we will be adding mobile data cellular connectivity as well). The Redbox knows what you have connected and contains all the necessary driver, connection set-up and firewall firmware inside. Incidentally, as the outside world changes, Ed Wildgoose and his team at Mailasail provide any necessary firmware upgrades which are easy to install. We don't need to worry about configuring our connections or messing with our laptop firewalls, which I value enormously because there are plenty of other things to bother us when we are preparing the boat or going sailing.
If you have a more generic requirement for obtaining weather at sea, you might find a call to Mailasail worthwhile to see what system-solutions they might recommend.
Regards
Chris

Thanks Chris: yes I've been dealing with them for years, so I know how good they are.